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"If you say so, then so be it." Chloris looked at the fox with a smile. After all, she was very satisfied with what happened last night and was unusually tolerant and understanding of Gisela.
"Hmph! Your smile is disgusting." Gisela turned her head to the side in dissatisfaction, after all, in Gisela's memory, nothing good ever happened when Chloris smiled.
"Because I'm happy whenever I see you."
"What are you talking about? That doesn't fit your usual persona!"
"My persona? What kind of persona could I possibly have?"
"Anyway, that's not important!"
"One last thing?"
"What is it?" Gisela stood up and began to put on her clothes.
"Are you willing to marry me now?" Chloris asked knowingly.
"I'm already married, why are you asking me this kind of question?" Just kidding, Nina is Gisela's nominal husband, and Mia is their daughter. The child's "father" is Nina, not Chloris.
“Then I’ll continue to be your lover. I don’t really care. I just want to be able to use this often.” Chloris slowly brought the item to Gisela.
"You!" Looking at the stick-like object in front of her, Gisela wanted to say that the other party was shameless, but if she showed embarrassment or shame, it would play right into the other party's hands, so she didn't say anything more.
"Oh, wait for me," Gisela suddenly said.
"whats the matter."
“I can’t stand up, help me up…” Gisela said sternly, but her cheeks were flushed.
At this time, in the harbor of Golden Horn Bay
"Long live Her Majesty the Queen! Long live Britain!" On the shore, the Ottoman Empire's prepared crowd waved British and Ottoman flags to greet Queen Victoria.
As an old friend and good partner of the Ottoman Empire, Queen Victoria was also deeply loved by the local people in the Ottoman Empire. If it weren't for their help, the Ottoman Empire would have been defeated by the Russians several times over.
Dressed in her finest attire, Victoria stood at the bow of the ship. Today, her golden hair was tied back, and her platinum dress made her appear exceptionally dignified. In her hand, she held a silver scepter inlaid with rubies. It is said that the silver of this scepter was seized during a war with the Chinese Empire, while the rubies were tributes from Indian princely states, and the craftsmanship was from Egypt, giving it an overall Arabic influence.
Although it lacked the scepter she used in England, her visit to the Ottomans was surprisingly well-done.
Victoria smiled and waved to the crowd, but her eyes were searching for her eldest daughter. She had clearly notified the Prince of Wales to come to the port to see her, but unfortunately, Victoria didn't seem to see him in sight.
"Mother, has my eldest sister really arrived in Constantinople ahead of schedule?" The somewhat introverted Duke of York, Olive Victoria, asked softly. (By the way, the Prince of Wales's real name is Cana Augustus Frederick, but for the sake of easy memorization and imagery, you know what I mean.)
“Yes, she came early. You mustn’t be like your sister in being disobedient,” Victoria said, turning to her second daughter.
“Yes! Mother, I will definitely be a good girl.” The Duke of York nodded and stepped aside.
Victoria would naturally not tell the Duke of York, the sister of the Prince of Wales, about the turbulent events brewing in the court, as she did not want the tragedy of the Plantagenet dynasty to befall her family again.
At the same time the British arrived at the port, Sarah Adolphe Thiers, the president of the Third French Republic, also arrived in the city.
Similarly, the French received a grand welcome from the Ottoman Empire. As the main force in the previous resistance against Russia, the French naturally received the Ottoman courteous treatment.
"Miss President, please accept our heartfelt blessings. May your friendship with our Sultanah last forever," the Ottoman official said with a smile.
PS1: Venus on the battlefield, Mars on the bed 0v0!
Chapter 555 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 52 Thiers and Victoria (Vote Requested)
“No need. International relations are all about interests. I don’t like hearing such pointless talk. I just hope that you can offer something that will satisfy France.” Thiers’ lips curled up slightly, and he leaned forward, bringing his head close to the man’s ear as he whispered. Then he straightened the man’s turned-up collar.
"Charlotte, the liaison work is in your hands." Thiers said, looking at the tall, dark-haired beauty behind her.
“Yes, sir.” The woman named Charlotte bowed politely to Thiers and then walked toward the Ottoman official.
"Where are you going, Your Excellency, President?" the man asked.
"Go see the Queen of England. If my intelligence is correct, she should have arrived in Constantinople by now." With that, Thiers disappeared from everyone's sight.
“Sir, France will not be on your side this time.” Charlotte’s expression was serious, with no trace of a joke.
"This..." Just now, they expressed a possibility, but in the blink of an eye, they turned it into an impossibility. This is something that no one can accept.
"May I ask for the reason?"
"Because the Russian Empire has offered you a bargaining chip that you can never match."
"Distinguished ladies, it is an honor for you to be here in Constantinople. On behalf of my mistress, Her Majesty Her Majesty Hurem Sultanah, I extend our sincere blessings and heartfelt greetings to all the monarchs and heads of state." At this moment, Mustafa, the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, stood in the center of the hall and spoke solemnly.
As he spoke, he politely glanced at Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and French President Thiers, who were already present. Queen Clos de Prussia and Empress Gisela of Austria were not present, but Prussian Chancellor Bismarck and the Austrian Empress's Chief Lady-at-Large, Rita (officially announced), were also there.
"This is a grand event that Constantinople has never hosted before, a moment of glory for the empire after hundreds of years, and this honor should belong to the support of every noble person who has come here." Mustafata's clear and resonant tone declared that while the Ottomans were the host, they also expressed their respect for the representatives of each country in a humble and respectful manner.
“Miss Bismarck, you said yesterday that His Majesty was unwell and unable to meet with everyone in time. Do you know where Queen Chloris is now?” Rita appeared to be in normal condition, but a closer look would reveal dark circles under her eyes beneath her makeup, indicating that she had spent a considerable amount of time and effort searching for Gisela last night.
"Our Emperor is currently resting in a residence provided by the Ottoman Empire? Why does Miss Rita suddenly ask this question?" Bismarck frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, but still decided to help Chloris tell this lie. After all, given Bismarck's intelligence, she could tell with her eyes closed what Chloris had been doing all night. Moreover, considering the situation today, it seemed that Empress Gisela was not present either, so she naturally had a clue.
"To be honest, Her Majesty has gone missing. She didn't return last night, and we've been sending people to look for her all night." Rita sighed helplessly. It was indeed not a good idea to trouble the Ottomans with such a matter. After all, their empress was missing, and if the media found out, Austria would become a laughing stock in European politics, especially since the monarchs of major powers were all here.
“Miss Rita, don’t be nervous. Your Empress Gisela is a magic user. She’s a formidable figure who has fought her way up on the battlefield. Perhaps she’s just conducting an investigation. Maybe we’ll see her soon.” Lying without expression was no problem for Bismarck, but for some reason, seeing Rita looking so haggard, Bismarck had an urge to rub Gisela and Chloris into the ground.
While Rita was complaining to Bismarck, Queen Victoria of England was also meeting with French President Thiers.
"Your Majesty, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Sarah Adolf Thiers." The dark-haired woman's lips curled slightly, her eyes always carrying her unique flirtatiousness and coldness.
“I know you.” Compared to Thiers’ initiative, Victoria’s reaction was much colder. After all, the French had turned the tables on the Austrian question last time, not only rejecting the British proposal but also taking advantage of the chaos to take over the Rhineland from Prussia. Their overly cunning diplomatic tactics made Victoria feel uneasy about this dark-haired woman.
“I know, but this is truly the first time I’ve met you, Your Majesty, who rules the seas.” Thiers extended his hand without asking. Although Victoria was very unhappy, she had no choice but to return the handshake due to diplomatic etiquette.
"It would be wonderful if our handshake could cross the strait," Thiers said casually, a seemingly unrelated remark that took on a different meaning for Victoria.
"Our Royal Navy is capable of defending all our sea borders, whether they belong to our two countries or to the seas right now." Victoria held her head high, flicking her golden hair with her right hand, exuding unparalleled confidence.
“Unfortunately, the navy cannot defend this city, and the Theodosian Wall cannot stop the heavy artillery of the Russian Empire, nor the brave and skilled Cossack cavalry.” Thiers took a step back and picked up a glass of red wine from the plate of a passing servant.
"We firmly believe that the Ottomans and their Sultanah are capable of protecting their country from invasion by other nations." Although even Victoria herself knew the unreliability of the Ottoman army, there were certain things she had to say.
“Your Majesty, do you know how long it took me to purge the Bonapartists and royalists from France?” Thiers swirled his wine glass, narrowing his eyes as he observed Victoria.
“No more, no less, it’s a full year.” Thiers raised his right index finger.
"Then congratulations on accomplishing a feat that no previous French regime had achieved." Victoria's tone was full of blessings, as if she genuinely wanted to congratulate her.
"Those supporters behind Napoleon III, don't be so presumptuous as to treat us French people as your scapegoats and objects to be toyed with at will." Thiers' tone was icy, and his expression was more severe than ever before.
"When we liberated Provence a few years ago, Richelieu took away the vast majority of our French navy. Who provided them with supplies for their journey to North Africa?" These answers and the implications of these words were so obvious that even the Duke of York, standing behind Queen Victoria, gripped the hem of his dress tightly...
PS1: It's all about the struggle for interests.
Chapter 556 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 53 The Uninvited Guest (Seeking Votes)
“I swear to God, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with Britain.” Queen Victoria slowly walked up to Thiers, carefully observing this woman with ill intentions through her sky-blue eyes.
"May Her Majesty's vow reach the Lord." With that, Thiers raised her glass and brought the red wine to her lips. As she did so, the crimson wine slid down her chin and dripped onto her chest, which was covered by her half-open shirt.
"My lord, this." At this moment, Charlotte, a woman behind Thiers, handed Thiers a clean handkerchief, indicating that she could wipe her chest.
"Charlotte, could you wipe me down?" Thiers casually straightened his chest and glanced at Victoria out of the corner of his eye, as if he were doing it on purpose for her.
“Shameless,” Victoria muttered.
“Some people are so pitiful, they’ve never been touched here in their entire lives, not just by men, but by women too.” Thiers’ sarcastic tone was clearly intended to provoke Victoria.
This is understandable, as Britain has maintained the tradition of virgin queens since Elizabeth I. Maintaining chastity is not only a responsibility to oneself, but also to the people.
“You!” Victoria took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions in order to maintain her diplomatic dignity.
"If France agrees to send troops to Crimea again, what can you offer us?" Thiers changed the subject, returning the issue to what should have been discussed.
Faced with Thiers's masterful control of the conversation, Victoria seemed to be completely led by the nose from the very beginning. From an unrelated interrogation to the mockery while wiping away spilled wine, and now back on track, Thiers has consistently maintained a precise pace.
"And what do you want?" Queen Victoria was no fool, and she quickly handed the choice to the other party. After all, whoever grasps the other party's needs first will gain the upper hand in negotiations.
The rivalry between Britain and France has only just begun.
“Miss Bismarck, in your opinion, what benefits do the French actually want to gain?” Rita asked, looking somewhat puzzled at Queen Victoria and Thiers, who were locked in a tense standoff in the distance.
“If I were her, I would first talk about Napoleon III in North Africa. I would at least get the British to promise to lend them their warships to send the French Republic’s troops to North Africa,” Bismarck said, hands on his hips.
"Why not first have the British cut off Napoleon's supplies?"
"Without control of the sea, the French Republic had no way to urge the British to fulfill the treaty." To put it bluntly, the British held the initiative, and if they really wanted to renege on the treaty, France had no way to do anything about it.
"Secondly, there's the issue of recognizing sovereignty over the Rhineland." Bismarck frowned at the mention of the Rhineland, which, regardless of anything else, had at least once been Prussian territory.
"However, in my opinion, the British could not actually offer the French what truly satisfied them; on the contrary, the Russians had something they were more interested in."
"What is that?" Rita tilted her head, looking somewhat confused.
"Expansion on the European continent, the Balkans in Russia, and Germany in France. Don't forget Napoleon's great achievements. I believe no French ruler would have been unwilling to do the same. The reason it hasn't been repeated for so long is simply because they couldn't do it."
"They will become our enemies!" Rita could easily come to this conclusion after a little thought.
"If Russia succeeds, then facing an attack from Russia and France in the future is inevitable." Bismarck rubbed the tip of his nose, casually took out a small bottle of liquor from the pocket of his uniform, and chugged it down.
Just then, Rita's gaze fell upon two people she knew all too well. The gray-haired, red-eyed woman was clearly the Queen of Prussia, while the blonde, fox-eared beauty holding her arm was clearly her most beloved Majesty.
"Your Majesty..." Rita wanted to greet Gisela loudly, but a detail made her expression turn cold instantly, because she noticed that her Majesty's walking style was a little strange today.
What's wrong? Could it be that His Highness is injured? Rita's expression darkened at the thought, because she had a strong feeling that His Highness's appearance was definitely related to the inherently evil Prussian princess.
at the same time----
The roar of the train echoed through the station outside Constantinople, and the Ottoman staff working on the platform looked up at the train that was pulling into the station.
The prominent double-headed eagle emblem on the front of the vehicle, along with the national flag composed of white, blue, and red, was fluttering in the wind. At this moment, every Ottoman knew that the giant bear that loomed in the north, the terrifying country that they feared, had finally arrived.
Three hundred years ago, the Turks were feared by all of Europe. Faced with the invincible army under the Sultan, the self-righteous monarchs of Europe could only tremble in fear behind the solid city walls and pray for the protection of their illusory gods.
While the Ottoman Empire was indulging in its self-created prosperity and enjoying the glory bestowed by Allah, the Rus' people in the north began their rise to power. In just two hundred years, the Russians expanded their territory from Europe to Asia and even the Americas.
Its population exceeded 100 million, making it the most populous country in Europe, with a total population even five times that of the Ottoman Empire.
If the Ottoman Empire still had the strength to fight during the previous Russo-Turkish wars, then the current Ottoman Empire is nothing more than a salted fish that the Russians can easily crush. Only the support of its allies can help it resist this formidable opponent.
The Turkish workers on the platform quickly ran into the office building next to the station to report to the stationmaster, who had already seen the train arriving through the window.
Logically, there was no mention of Russians arriving in Constantinople today, but in fact, Russians were at the station. Thinking of this, the train conductor summoned a messenger to inform the Grand Vizier in the city. The Ottoman Empire wasn't so extravagant as to equip every station with magical communication systems; daily communication still relied on messengers.
Returning our gaze to the train, a silver-haired girl wearing a snow-white princess dress and holding a strange plush toy slowly stood up. At the same time, the handsome young man opposite her closed his newspaper and straightened his suit.
"Anna, I'll walk in front of you, and you stay close to me," the young man said, standing up and looking at the silver-haired girl in front of him.
PS1: This diplomatic effort was essentially a mutual probing, so naturally no concrete results were achieved.
Chapter 557 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 54 Rita's Little Thoughts (Seeking Votes)
“Yes, elder brother.” The elder brother the girl spoke of was Alexander Alexandrovich, the future Tsar of the Russian Empire, Alexander III, and his son was the last Tsar, Nicholas II, though at present he was only the Crown Prince of the Russian Empire.
After responding to her brother, the silver-haired girl looked out the window. There was still no welcoming line on the platform.
"It seems the Ottomans weren't prepared to receive us, but that's all within our expectations," Alexander said coldly, then nodded to the guards officer standing not far away outside the royal carriage.
Soon, as the doors of the Russian Empire's royal train slowly opened, soldiers of the Imperial Guard, armed with rifles and dressed in luxurious uniforms, disembarked in an orderly fashion and stood on both sides of the road.
"The Crown Prince of All Russia, the Great Alexander Alexandrovich, and Grand Duchess Anastasia Alexandrarovna of the Russian Empire have arrived!" Accompanied by the hoarse but resonant voice of a guard officer, Alexander and his sister disembarked from the train. The accompanying royal band skillfully played the Russian national anthem, "God Save the Tsar."
"My lord, is there anything I can do to help you?" The stationmaster, unable to wait for instructions from above, could only hurry up and drag his round body, head bowed, to Alexander.
"Why don't you kneel before the Crown Prince?" The guards raised their rifle butts, intending to strike the station chief, but Alexander stopped them.
“Constantine, don’t be like that. This gentleman probably didn’t know we would be here today.” Alexander slowly walked to the man’s side and gently patted his shoulder.
"Hmph! It seems we've come for nothing this time. The Ottomans seem to crave war even more than we do, don't you think, Anna?"
The trembling, hunched-over man slightly raised his head and looked at the stunningly beautiful girl behind him.
Her skin was as white as snow, her eyes were clear and without a trace of impurity, her lips were soft and pink, and her appearance was exquisite. Everything about her was a stark contrast to the popular belief that Russian women were as ugly as pigs and had voices as rough as bulls.
The girl nodded without speaking, which was considered as agreeing with her brother's opinion.
"My father sent me here to have a good talk with you all, so let's have a talk." In fact, before coming here, the Russian Empire's ambassador to Paris had already informed the French of their intention to cooperate, and the alliance between the two countries was practically a done deal. However, they still sent someone to Constantinople. Of course, the fact that Tsar Alexander II did not come in person clearly demonstrated the Russian Empire's lack of attention to the meeting.
The Ottoman Empire did not welcome the Russian Empire precisely because Russia did not give a clear timeframe. The hostility revealed in Russia's intentions can be summed up in one word: its true intentions were revealed.
"If you wish to proceed to the meeting place, we can lead the way."
"Then thank you for your trouble, Station Master." With that, two tall Russian Guardsmen lifted the obese station master up and walked forward, while the Crown Prince and others followed closely behind.
Returning our attention to the meeting venue
"Does it still hurt a lot?" Chloris gently asked Gisela, pressing her head close to Gisela's ear.
"It's not like you're the one who gets stabbed in the back for talking nonsense." Gisela looked tired, and her tone lacked some of her arrogance, indicating that she was not in very good condition.
"Welcome, welcome! Your Majesty Chloris, Your Majesty Gisela." Noticing the arrival of the two queens, Mustafata approached them and bowed politely in their presence.
"Greetings, Lord Mustafata. Have all the guests arrived?" Chloris asked.
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